Show Me Your Love
by Tiiulicious
Summary: An AU story with lots of love, drama and secrets. Couples include JaxAlexis, BrendaJason, NedCarly, SkyeLorenzo, SamRic and AJCourtney.
1. Prologue

**Show Me Your Love**

**Prologue**

This is an AU story of General Hospital. My Port Charles differs quite a lot from the current GH and here's what you need to know before reading:

-Jax and Alexis married because of love and have two children together; Kristina and Molly.

-Alexis and Carly hate each other and their loathing is no secret to anyone.

-Brenda never died and Sonny never left her at the altar. They have a daughter together and they divorced a couple of years ago. Now Brenda is married to Jason with an infant son.

-Carly was never married to Sonny; instead she was married to AJ who is still alive and Jerry Jacks. She has two sons, Michael with AJ and Morgan with Jerry.

-Ned fell in love with Chloe and they were married after Jax had married Alexis. They were in love until Tracy interfered and caused Chloe to move out of Port Charles leaving Ned heartbroken.

-Courtney is still alive and happily married to AJ.

-Tracy and Luke are married and making each other miserable all day everyday.

-Alan never died and he and Monica are still happily married.

-Sam married Ric and they are expecting their first child.

-Skye is married to Lorenzo with whom she has a daughter Lila Rae. She is Alan's daughter and a Quartermaine. She and Ned were never involved.

-Lucky and Liz are still happily married and Jake is Lucky's son, not Jason's.

-Nikolas and Emily are also still married.

-Carly and Ned got engaged a couple of months ago and are getting married soon.


	2. Chapter 1

**Show Me Your Love**

**CHAPTER 1**

"You never guess who I saw," Alexis Davis-Jacks shouted excitedly as she entered the penthouse she shared with her husband of seven years, Jasper 'Jax' Jacks and their daughters Kristina and Molly.

"Who?" Jax said raising an eyebrow at the look of pure joy on his wife's face.

"Chloe. She's back in town and boy did she ever choose a good time to come back. We have to make sure Ned finds out that she's in town, so he doesn't get the chance to marry that shrieking banshee," Alexis explained with a glee. Ned was one of her closest friends and there was no way she was going to let him marry Carly. That blonde bitch had done nothing but hurt the people Alexis cared about and Ned wasn't going to be included to that list if she could help it.

"Are you sure? Are you positive that it was really Chloe you saw?" Jax quizzed. He was a realist and the odds that Chloe had miraculously returned to town just in the eve of her former husbands wedding to Carly Benson were astronomically small. She had left town extremely suddenly without giving anyone a good explanation and he just couldn't see her coming back after five years.

"Trust me honey, I'd know that hair and legs anywhere. I saw her enter Metro Court Hotel and I have to go see her right now. You should go see Ned and tell him that the love of his life is back and he can now freely dump that horrendous woman." Alexis babbled on excitedly and Jax had to grasp her arm to stop her from rushing out of the room.

"Darling, wouldn't it be a good idea to confirm that it actually is Chloe before dragging Ned into this? He didn't handle it very well the last time Chloe left," Jax rationalized and hoped his wife would listen to reason. He loved Alexis just as she was, but taking advice and listening to others wasn't his wife's strong point especially if she had a chance to stick it to Carly.

"You're right. I'll find out if the mystery blonde is Chloe, you'll go see Brenda and find out what Ned thinks about Chloe. She's his best friend and should know. God I'm so exited. I know that they say revenge is supposed to be sweet, but lord I'm almost going into sugar shock right now at the thought of Carly getting dumped just before her wedding," Alexis said doing a small happy dance while grinning at Jax.

"Brenda? You want me to go see my ex-wife to talk about Ned's feelings about his ex-wife? Couldn't we rather just spend a quiet evening at home with the girls and let Nedley worry about his screwed up love life himself? I can see you and me huddled near the fireplace together sipping wine and enjoying each other's company." Jax said enveloping her into his arms and kissing her neck.

"That is a very good suggestion dear, but we need to save Ned from the clutches of that witch. If you do this for me, I promise to make it worth your while." Alexis purred and ran her hands through Jax's sun kissed blond hair.

"When you put it like that, I would be happy to happy in any way I can dear wife. Even if that means entering the lair of Jason Morgan. But I do expect full compensation for going anywhere near that career criminal."

"I love you, but lets get to work. We've got lots of things to do my darling, gorgeous husband; we have to find Chloe and ruin a wedding." Alexis laughed kissing Jax deeply before running out of the door. Jax shook his head with a laugh and grapped his jacket before following his wife out of the penthouse.

--

Jax had been standing outside of the Morgan penthouse for over five minutes now trying to figure out the best way to approach the Ned situation with Brenda. So far, just asking her straight seemed the safest route to go and with that notion, he knocked on the door. He waited and when there was no answer, he knocked again. The door suddenly opened this time and Jax came face to face with the disgruntled Jason Morgan, instead of Brenda.

"What do you want Jax? Has the business empire finally gone bankrupt and you're now selling didgeridoos from door to door?" Jason sneered and looked at Jax surly.

"Nice to see you Morgan. So, how's the mob business going these days? Murder anyone lately?" Jax responded, locking eyes with the other man.

"I have about two seconds of patience left with you. Tell me what do you want so I can tell you to blow it up your backside and we can get this over with." Jason said with a eye roll, disgust etched in his voice.

"I'm here to see Brenda. Is she home?" Jax said stepping inside the penthouse to the annoyance of Jason.

"Did I hear my name mentioned?" Brenda said with a grin while entering the living room dressed in an red apron which had the text 'kiss the cook' written in black glitter. Her dark hair was pulled in a loose ponytail and she had a look of happiness in her eyes that Jax still carried with him to this day despite being married to Alexis, a woman who he loved deeply.

"Yeah, but Jax was just leaving honey. Weren't your Jax?" Jason said with a warning tone that Jax ignored and instead moved closer to Brenda and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Jason steamed and inched near Jax trying to not deck him right then and there. He was secure with his relationship with his wife of two years, but something about her former Aussie husband rubbed him the wrong away.

"Actually I came to see you Bren. Do you have a minute for your ex-husband?" Jax said flashing a brilliant, toothy grin.

"I always have time for you Jax. Jason, sweetie, can you go check that Savannah has all of her things packed? I don't want her to be late." Brenda asked from her husband and sent a reassuring smile in his direction.

"Sure babe. You better be gone when I get back Candy Boy," Jason warned and captured Brenda in a passionate kiss, just to show the obnoxious Aussie that she was now his wife and meddling with that was not a good idea. If he wanted to keep the ability to walk on his own two feet, Jax better know that Brenda was off limits.

"So, what's up? How can I help you Jax?" Brenda asked offering him a drink that he took. She then motioned for him to take a seat on the plush auburn sofa.

I could ask you the same thing. What's with the apron? It looks so unbecoming of the glamorous supermodel that I was once married to," Jax teased and sat down with a glass of bourbon in hand.

"We're having a pre-wedding dinner for Carly and Ned tonight and I've been slaving in the kitchen since early this morning." Brenda said with a laugh, that same infectious giggle that had been one of the major reasons why Jax had fallen in love with her all those years ago.

"I'm deeply offended, Bren. I am the best man after all and I can't believe me and Alexis are not invited. Have you forgotten my existence as well as your manners?" Jax said feigning shock and shaking his head with a twinkle.

"It's a Quartermaine pre-wedding dinner. You might be the best man, but you sure ain't a Q, unless the family has even more illegimate children hidden away," Brenda said laughing at Jax's puppy dog eyes.

"Well then I want to come more than ever. I don't want to miss good old Edward get stricken with food poisoning after eating what ever it is that you've been making." Jax nudged Brenda in the shoulder with a laugh.

"I can cook. Well I can bake a pretty mean cake and cookies which is what I've been doing in the kitchen all morning. The catering is handling the appetizers and the main course. But seriously, what can I do for you? Sonny is coming in a few and you two are like oil and water together so…" Brenda laughed and stood up.

"How come Sonny is invited and I'm not? He's not related to the Quartermaine's and isn't exactly Ashton's bosom buddy?" Jax said with a frown and took gulp of his drink.

"Sonny's not coming to dinner, he's picking up Savannah. You know, his daughter Savannah who spends two weekends a month with him and who I helped bake cookies for her daddy this morning." Brenda answered a little irritated and sighed before continuing, "If you want to come so bad, I'm can set another plate at the table, but only if you promise to be in your best behavior."

"Who, me? I'm always at my best behavior and I wouldn't do anything to ruin Nedley's emasculation, I mean his engagement to a women who I'm sure is a functioning member of this society." Jax winked mischievously.

"Don't do anything to irritate my husband nor Edward. This is a family occasion, one that I hope will bring Jason closer to his family. I want him to have his parents and brother in his life and I can't have anything ruining that. Can you honestly keep your tongue to yourself?" Brenda asked with a more serious tone, the one she used when she really, really meant something.

Before he could utter his reply, they were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Brenda sent a dangerous look in Jax's direction that told him to keep his mouth shut and he planned to do just that.

"Hi, Brenda. Is princess ready to go?" Sonny Corinthos said as he confidently entered the penthouse. Sonny was dressed in a dark suit and assessed the situation with his dark eyes.

"Daddy." A small, dark-haired little girl of seven said running to her dad and letting him scoop her up. Savannah Lila Corinthos was the apple of her father's eye and they shared those fabulous dimples and dark eyes. She had inherited her mother's dark curls and musical giggles, but everything else had come from her dad including the way she immediately owned whichever room she entered.

"Daddy, I made these for you. Mommy helped a little because you told me I can't use the oven by myself." Savannah beamed and showed Sonny a plastic container that was filled to the brink with chocolate chip cookies.

"You made these for me, princess? They look fantastic sweetie and I can't wait to taste them. How about you and me and a big, tall glass of milk with these yummy cookies?" Sonny said stroking his daughters curls with his hand.

Savannah wrapped her arms tighter around Sonny and nodded excitedly at the idea. It was then that Jason emerged carrying Savannah's pink backpack and his and Brenda's infant son. He handed the pink furry thing to Sonny who took it and acknowledged Jason with a warm smile. Jason then proceeded to lift the three month old Joseph "Joey" Michael Morgan on his left shoulder and gently rock him back and forth.

"Well, me and princess are gonna get going now. We have big plans, don't we precious? Brenda, Jason, I'll see you Monday." Sonny said and placed Savannah on the ground so the girl could hug her mom before leaving.

"If anything happens, anything at all Sonny, you have my phone number and pager number and I have them on me at all hours. Savannah baby, be safe and remember mommy and uncle Jase love you so much." Brenda said placing a kiss on her daughters forehead before Sonny once again scooped her up and they left the penthouse whispering something to each other's ears.

"What are you still doing here?" Jason said when he noticed the tall blonde man standing near the window peering outside. Despite the angry tone of his voice, he was incredibly gentle with his son and continued to soothe him.

"Brenda invited me to stay for dinner."

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: We meet Courtney and Carly; Alexis goes snooping at the hotel plus Jason's reaction to the news.

Thanks guys so much for reading and remember, feedback is shiny and made out of gold. Also it makes me update faster. This is my first GH fanfic, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Tiiu XOXO


	3. Chapter 2

Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing my story. I really appreciate it and they only make me wanna write more and faster. So please keep the reviews coming and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Show Me Your Love**

**CHAPTER 2**

Courtney Quartermaine was slowly walking around the vast grounds of the Quartermaine mansion hoping to escape the constant business talk that threatened to spoil most of her waking hours. Her husband AJ, his cousin Ned and AJ's grandfather Edward had been holed up in the living room for hours on end, wheeling, dealing and scheming about ELQ Industries and Courtney swore if she heard the words profit increase one more time, she was going to lose it.

She needed a sympathetic ear and in hope of finding that, she had slowly made her way to the gatehouse where her best friend Carly was living with Ned. She didn't bother to knock, she never did when she was certain Carly wasn't off doing the horizontal mambo with Ned. The gatehouse seemed eerily quiet, Michael wasn't playing an obnoxiously loud computer game that he was usually glued to, Morgan wasn't fiddling with his that guitar Ned had given him for his birthday and Brooke Lynn wasn't having a screaming match with her father and step-mother. Courtney wandered around the place until she heard the sound of faint swearing that came from the master bedroom upstairs.

"Honey, come and help me pick out a dress for this pre-wedding dinner. I've been agonizing for ages now when you've been acting like a stuffed shirt." Carly said when Courtney entered the room. The other blonde was standing in her closet, furiously going through the racks and there was an entire pile of discarded dresses at her feet.

"It's only me. Ned's still in full blown business mode with my hubby and Edward. Watcha up to, girlfriend?" Courtney said with a laugh and plopped on the bed.

"I have to look good for this dinner thing. I hate it when I'm being upstaged by Brenda and everyone's always Brenda this, Brenda that, Brenda's so beautiful, she's so good, she's so righteous and she's a god's gift to this rotten town. She's on a freaking pedestal and everyone treats her like she's the end all and be all of Port Charles. One of the major reasons to want to move is the exclusive worship of the witch goddess Brenda. Please, she's a major phony," Carly said spitting out Brenda's name venomously.

"It's your pre-wedding dinner and the people who are invited are family, so I don't think we'll see any Brenda worship tonight thankfully." Courtney reassured Carly with a smile and then focused on the pile of clothes near her.

"Well, Edward thinks Brenda's the second coming of Jesus, Monica adores her, Emily never shuts up how awesome friend and mom Brenda is and my dear Neddy murders anyone with his gaze who dares to say anything negative about her. I don't get what's so freaking irresistible about her? What does she have that makes people buy her en endless laundry list of bullcrap? Isn't she into her third marriage now and has kids with two different men? That's not exactly angelic." Carly rattled on, conveniently forgetting that she too was about to enter her third marriage and had two kids with two different men.

"Forget about Brenda. She's just had a baby and we can all rest assured she hasn't gotten all of the weight off. You'll look svelte and gorgeous next to the bloated Brenda, so let's see what choices you have for tonight. Uuuuh, I really like this one. I think it would look stunning on you," Courtney said taking a green scarf dress into her hands. The dress was empire style with a stone rim just under the bustline and spaghetti straps.

"I was thinking we should co-ordinate and make sure we won't clash. We all know Brenda is wearing red, Emily will probably go for something blue and I'm most likely wearing the green. What are you wearing?" Carly said taking the dress from Courtney and looking it through to make sure there wasn't any dirt or holes in the dress.

"I was thinking the pink satin dress with the rhinestones. So what do you think Tracy and Skye are going to be wearing?" Courtney said thoughtfully.

"I completely forgot those two are going as well. I honestly don't know what Skye is wearing, that black widow shouldn't even get invited to these family functions. She abandoned the family when she married that too bit hood Lorenzo Alcazar. And Tracy, that spiteful witch will wear black since apparently she's in mourning now that Ned and I are getting married," Carly said frowning unattractively when she mentioned her future mother-in-laws name.

"That woman needs a muzzle. Last week Tracy asked me right there in the middle of dinner what kind of bleach I use and if it has, by any accident, seeped to my brain yet." Courtney huffed angrily. That embarrassing moment was well etched in her brain and Tracy would definitely be off her Christmas card list this year.

"Is that Ned?" Carly asked when they heard the front door open and someone bristly waking up the stairs.

"Sounds like him. I'll give you some privacy and go see if my husband is off his business zombie mode. See ya at the dinner Carlybabes." Courtney said and just as she exited the door, she all but crashed into the athletic frame of Lawrence Edward Quartermaine Ashton who offered one of his patented dimpled smiles and sidestepped, letting her exit the room.

"Hi Courtney. AJ is in a conference call with Hong Kong right now and wanted me to tell you that you should probably get ready without him." Ned said cheerily and couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside for the murderous look in Courtney's baby blues. Oh boy, Junior will be in so much trouble.

As soon as they heard the front door close with an angry thud, Carly jumped into Ned's arms and placed a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I take it I was missed, wasn't I?" Ned laughed and carried his blonde fiancée to the bed and gently placed her on it.

"Of course. You and your luscious leather pants are always missed by me." Carly giggled and took a hold of Ned's hands and pulled him to the bed as well.

--

Alexis was full blown spy mode. She was going to enter that hotel and find out if Ned's ex wife was indeed back in town. If it was true, Alexis was going to consider it the best Christmas present she had ever received in her life. Just as she was about to enter Metro Court, she heard the familiar ringing of her cell phone.

"Hi mom, it's me. I know I promised I'd have the girls home already but they don't seem to want to leave. They're playing hide and seek with Ric and you can't understand what it looks like to have my sisters beat my husband 10 to nothing," said the laughing voice of Alexis' first born daughter Sam Lansing over the phone.

"That's okay. Actually would you and Ric mind watching the girls tonight of us? Both me and Jax are in the middle of something very important right now and it sounds like Kristina and Molly are having a good time. I could come and get them first thing in the morning, how about that?" Alexis said scolding herself for getting that the girls were originally supposed to come home.

"Perfect. I've never seen Ric as happy as he is when he's with the girls with the possible exception when he's winning in court. But mom I'm so confused, he seems so into having this baby, but I'm scared to death. What if I can't be a good mom or even know how to take care of the baby," Sam suddenly blurted out and sighed.

"Sam, sweetie. You're going to be a great mom, I know that for sure. And I'll be there with you every step of the way, as is Jax and Ric." Alexis said with a warm comforting tone.

"I'm really sorry for dumping all of this on you. It's just there damn pregnancy hormones, that's all. I'm fine and I'll see you tomorrow. Do you want to speak to the girls?" Sam said casually changing the subject that saddened Alexis deeply. Sam still hadn't learned to trust her fully, especially with her feelings and true thoughts.

"I'll call them tonight before they go to bed tonight. Now you'll listen to your mother and go take a long bath. You need to relax, staying tense like this isn't good for my grandchild. Let Ric handle the girls," Alexis coaxed, fearing that her stubborn daughter would do the exact opposite.

"I'll go take a long, hot bath and leave Ric get annihilated all by his lonesome I swear. He's won all three of his last cases, his ego can't contain any more wins, so losing clean to my devious sisters will do him the world of good," Sam laughed and sounded so earnest that Alexis couldn't help but to want to believe her. With a goodbye, Alexis ended the phone call and made a beeline for the front desk of Metro Court.

"Hey Frank. I need a favor," Alexis said to the elegantly dressed older man who was standing by the huge, mahogany desk.

"Mrs. Jacks. What a pleasant surprise. How can I help my bosses lovely wife this evening?" The older man said with a nod in Alexis' direction.

"I need you to see if a Chloe Morgan is staying in the hotel at the moment. Can you do that for me Frank?" Alexis said giving the man a hopeful look.

"I can certainly do that. Let me see," the man said. He typed something in the computer and then replied: "I'm sorry Mrs. Jacks, there is no one under that name listed as a guest."

"Can you check under Chloe Aston?" Alexis said and the man obliged, again typing something.

"No, but we do have a room booked for Nate Ashton. Would he be someone who you are looking for?" the man asked courteously.

"What number is he staying in?" Alexis asked and knew she had gotten something. The only Ashton in town was Ned since his father Lord Larry hadn't been seen for the last two decades in these parts.

"2210, Mrs. Jacks. Would you like me to ring that room for you?

"No thank you Frank. I'll take it from here."

--

"You are not staying here for dinner. Brenda, he is not staying," Jason said with a murderous look and wasn't amused at all with Jax's easy smile and the smirk the taller man had sent in his direction.

"Honey, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute? Excuse us, Jax!" Brenda said and gestured for Jason to follow her out of the room.

"Jason, Jax is my friend and more importantly he is Ned's best friend. He's not here for me and I assure you that I will seat him the farthest seat from yours. You won't even have to talk to him, I promise." Brenda said and couldn't help but to reach out for touch her husband's face. He responded by pulling her closer to him and when he did that, she placed her other hand on their son's back.

"This dinner is already looking like the 9th circle of hell for me. Not only are my parents coming, so is AJ, Ned and now apparently the Aussie boy wonder. You sure know the ways to make me blissfully happy," Jason said mock-seriously and couldn't continue to stay mad at his wife. Not when she was looking into his eyes with those amazing golden brown eyes that contained more life than anyone else's that he had seen.

"I know, but if I can survive the shrieking, egomaniacal banshee Carly for the night, you can stand Jax being here for a couple of hours."

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Dinner starts and how is the resident of room 2210?


	4. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys so much for reviewing and reading. Without you, there would be no story and your input is desperately needed. So please, leave your comments since they make me write longer and faster. **

**Show Me Your Love**

**CHAPTER 3**

"So, princess. What have you been doing today?" Sonny asked his seven-year-old daughter as they entered his penthouse. She still had her arm safely wrapped around her father's next and was snuggling close to him.

"I baked with mommy, and then I played with Uncle Jason and Joey. Uncle Jason let me hold Joey and give him his bottle. He said I was a natural," Savannah said proudly and gave her dad one of her brilliant, toothy smiles.

"You seem to be a natural with everything sweetie. So your mommy was cooking for tonight and you were helping her." Sonny continued in an inquiring tone. He Brenda had divorced three years prior, but he still felt responsible to make sure she had everything she ever needed or wanted. Jason might have married her, but Brenda was going to forever be tied to him through their daughter.

"Mommy was very cheery, she was singing. Only when the phone rang, then she was mad. She called auntie Carly a harpo or something like that. Daddy, what does harpo mean?" Savannah asked with a curious raise gaze in her dark brown eyes.

"I think your mommy meant a harpy, sweetheart. That means a not very nice person." Sonny said with a laugh and could not agree more with Brenda's assessment of one Caroline 'Carly' Benson. If he had liked Ned more, he might have wished the marriage didn't happen, but alas, he didn't and thought it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

"Uncle Ned is in love with her isn't he? Does he think auntie Carly is not a nice person?" Savannah asked confused. Grown ups were so complicated in her mind, when her mommy and daddy had divorced they had told her they would always love each other, but couldn't be together anymore. But mommy had always said if you have love, anything was possible, so that had left her utterly confused.

"Your uncle Ned is a very confused man. He loved greatly, but both of his great loves were taken away from him and Carly helped him through a hard time. Love is a complicated thing sweetheart, one day you will learn that yourself. But princess, I have a very important question to ask you - what do you think about digging into one of those tasty cookies you made for me?" Sonny asked tickling Savannah, making the little girl howl with laughter.

--

"Jax, would you like to stay for dinner?" Jason asked through gritted teeth as he and Brenda returned to the living room. He had his arm wrapped safely around his wife and tried his best to portray a gracious host.

"I would love to. Thank you for the invite," Jax responded and remembered his promise to Brenda to behave.

"Help yourself to more drinks; me and Jason have to change. The rest of the guests should be arriving in the hour. Jax, would you like to call Alexis and have her join us as well?" Brenda asked when it suddenly dawned to her that it would be incredibly rude to not invite Jax's wife as well.

"Alexis is busy this evening, but thank you Brenda. I'm sure she regrets not being able to attend. She and Ned are close after all," Jax said smoothly and directed his ice-cold eyes to Jason who was currently busy imitating his wife's easy smile and to Jax, failing miserably.

"Shame. There are very few Quartermaine gatherings where someone doesn't end up needing an attorney," Brenda quipped and couldn't help but to feel glad that Alexis would not be attending; not that she didn't like her, she really did, but the witty, smart lawyer was not exactly someone who her husband wanted to spend an evening with.

--

"Courtney, honey, I already said I was sorry. The call took longer than I thought. Please let me in," AJ Quartermaine said, knocking on the door of the bedroom he shared with his wife Courtney. It seemed like his wife had locked him out of their room yet again and he had more groveling to do before he was back in her good graces. "I would like to say sorry to your face instead of this door. Come on, honey. Let me in!"

"I'm sick and tired of ELQ controlling our lives. All you do is work, work, work and some more work. I want us to go away together, spend some time together without interruptions. Ned is taking Carly to the Virgin Islands for their honeymoon for three whole weeks; when we got married, I got two lousy days in New York." Courtney fumed as she opened the door and before AJ could reply, she slammed it shut yet again.

"Is this what this is about? Ned and his white knight antics? ELQ was fighting a take-over attempt by Marone industries when we married; there was no way I could disappear to the Bahamas for three weeks then as Nedley is doing now. When I close this Tokyo deal, I'll take you somewhere nice." AJ said knocking yet again and sighing.

"You promise?" Courtney said unsurely, opening the door and letting AJ enter.

"I promise. You look stunning and I'm truly sorry. I'm now fully chastised," AJ, said giving Courtney a brief kiss on the lips and then disappearing in the closet to find his suit.

--

"We are going to be so late." Carly giggled as she collapsed on top of Ned after a round of some incredible lovemaking. She didn't have energy to even move, let alone get dressed and join the 'We Heart Brenda' convention that was gathering at the Morgan penthouse.

"Tell me about it. Could we ring Brenda and say that we're coming a bit later? And later as in not at all," Ned chucked kissing her neck and running his hand through her golden blonde hair.

"You have no idea how tempted I am…" Carly moaned as he attached his lips to her pulse point. He certainly knew how to use that mouth of his. "But we did promise to go and it would be kinda wrong of us to no-show since it's held in our honor."

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" Ned asked mischievously, rolling then over so that he was now on top of her. He then continued his assault on her neck, alternating between nibbling and sucking it.

"You're not playing fair. But then again, I never do," She laughed wrapping her slender legs around his waist and capturing his lips in a searing kiss. As Ned was lost in their passionate embrace, Carly turned the tables on him, rolling them over once again. Now, as she had the upped hand, she slipped away from him and disappeared into the adjacent bathroom. "I'll go get ready and after we get back, prepare to wear the leather pants again for my private enjoyment."

--

Jax had been standing in the Morgan living room for the past 30 minutes circling around the room and observing everything. He saw nothing that resembled the minimalist décor Jason had before he married Brenda; instead there were photos placed everywhere, a portrait of Brenda hanging in one of the walls and the room boasted more candles than any room he had ever been in.

The photos told a very different story of the mob hit man, one in particular captured Jax's gaze. It showed a eight-month pregnant Brenda laying in the sand in some far way beach with Jason's head pressed against her stomach and Savannah laying on her side smiling. It was beautiful yet so poignant and it brought Jax memories of his own girls Kristina and Molly. Especially Kristina, whose birth had been difficult, and he and Alexis had feared their little girl would not survive, yet she had fought her way back to them.

While he had been deep in thought, Jason had entered the room dressed in a white dress shirt and black trousers, a concession to his wife. Instead of trading barbs with Jax, he headed to his son's nursery to make sure the infant was indeed asleep. Brenda had refused to hire a nanny, stating that she never needed one with Savannah and didn't want her baby bonding with a stranger, but now Jason wished he had overruled her decision. Joey's sleep patterns were off, the boy slept like an angel during daytime but when the night came, there was no amount of singing that could put him to sleep. Jason likened his stubbornness to have come from his mother and wished someone else were here tonight watching over him during this dinner thing. The last thing he wanted was Brenda or him having to continually excuse themselves from the table to soothe their willful infant son.

--

"Do I have to be here? I do not want my son marrying that horrible, class-free dumpster woman." Tracy Quartermaine Spencer said with a noticeable eye roll to her husband Luke Spencer. The twosome were standing outside of the Morgan penthouse, him carrying a bottle of Cassillero del Diablo red wine for the hosts and her fiddling with his colorful, Christmas inspired tie.

"Now my peppermint popsicle, behave. Play nicely with your son's fiancée," Luke scolded playfully and taking her hand into his and kissing it theatrically.

"Just knock on the door and get this over with." Tracy muttered frowning at Luke. He did and then they waited in silence.

Brenda opened the door and even Tracy, who wasn't a card-carrying member of the Brenda fan club like the rest of her family, had to admit she did look stunning. The petite brunette was clad in a blood red knee-length strapless dress that accentuated her womanly curves. Her dark curls was left untouched and she was wearing a magnificent ruby necklace what Sonny had given her after the birth of Savannah with the idea that only a ruby could compete with the sparkle in Brenda's eyes.

"Tracy. Luke. Do come in. Thank you for coming," Brenda said sending a courteous smile in Tracy's direction that failed to have the usual warmth she projected, but when her eyes traveled to Luke, the smile broadened considerably.

"This is for you Brenda. One of the best red wines I have ever drank and only the best for you will do," Luke said handing the bottle to the brunette with his voice so saccharine that it made Tracy wish to heave on cue.

"So are my son and my future hooker-in-law here yet?" Tracy asked looking the room over and not spotting her first born anywhere.

"No Auntie Tracy, Ned and Carly aren't here yet. Too bad, you're here thought," Jason said sauntering to the room.

"Cute. May I have a drink or a couple?" Tracy said looking Jason over with contempt and heading to the bar where she helped herself to tall glass of brandy.

The tension in the room was broken by a knock on the door. This time Jason opened it and the way his arm muscles tightened, Brenda instantly knew who it was. Edward Quartermaine marched into the room with an air of superiority. Alan and Monica trailed after him, with Monica hugging Brenda tightly and Alan exchanging smiles with Jason.

"What are you doing here, you pirate?" Edward complained as soon as he noticed Jax standing near the bar with a drink in his hand.

"Nice to see you too Edward. I'm here as an invited guest, what's your excuse?" Jax fired back without missing a beat.

"You insolent piranha, Ned is my grandson and I happen to care about him. He might have completely lost his mind, but love is blind and such. If my Lila was here to see this, she would be appalled by this," Edward ranted and pointed his finger at Jax accusingly.

"Do shut up father. For once in your life, just be quiet, and mind your own damn business." Alan warned as he was helping Monica out of her coat.

As Edward was on the verge of yet another rant, they heard knocking and Jason opened the door to reveal AJ and Courtney and he acknowledged his brother with a slight nod.

"My, my, Courtney. The bulimia has certainly paid off," Tracy stated sarcastically as the young blonde took her coat off to reveal a sparkling pink mini dress.

--

Alexis was contemplating fleeting the scene as soon as she had finished knocking on the door. She, however, wasn't fast enough as the door opened just as her feet were starting to move.

"Alexis…..?" Chloe Morgan Ashton uttered in shock. It had been five years since she and the lawyer had last met. When she had left Ned and Port Charles behind, Chloe never expected to see Alexis again, certainly not now when she was only briefly passing through her former hometown.

"I have so many questions. Can I come in?" Alexis said with a smile and contemplated hugging the blonde. She chose against it, at least now since Chloe didn't look too thrilled to meet see her again.

"Mommy, the DVD's finished. I wanna watch the Power Ranger one next," said a boy appropriately 4 in age who was sitting in the middle of the room in front of the television set. He caught Alexis' attention immediately, even from the door she could tell who the boy looked like. With chestnut brown hair, sparking brown eyes and visible dimples in his cheeks he was a living, breathing image of Ned Ashton. You would have had to be blind not to notice the striking similarities between the two. The apple had certainly not fallen far from the tree.

Chloe panicked at the thought of someone finding out about the most precious thing in her life and wanted to scoop up her son and leave. She could hardly lie about her son's paternity no since even Chloe had admitted to herself a long time ago that he looked like a mini-me of Ned. She resisted her urge to run, but

instead ushered Alexis inside the room in silence.

"Alexis, I know I'm not in a position to demand anything, but can you please listen to me before you say anything?" Chloe pleaded, seeing the cold stare in the other woman's eyes. Alexis nodded and sat down on one of the chairs while her mind was racing a mile a minute.

"I know what this looks like. That I have been keeping Ned away from his son deliberately. I loved Ned, I still do, but with everything that happened during that winter, I couldn't say and subject Nate to the Quartermaine craziness. Tracy pulled out all the stops to separate us and there is no way my son will spend any time in the toxic presence of that woman. "Chloe said looking over at her son who now was playing with the DVD case since his mother hadn't changed the DVD.

"Why are you back in town if you didn't want anyone to know? You know secrets have a nasty way of resurfacing in this town," Alexis commented, still finding it hard to believe that the Chloe that she knew would just skip town and keep a father away from his son.

"I was visiting Lila's grave. I was in Manhattan for business and I felt the need to go there. Me and Nate are leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Can you tell me how Ned is? Is he okay?"

**To Be Continued..**

**Next Chapter: Ned/Carly arrive to the dinner party; how will Alexis handle the Chloe/Nate situation???**

**A 3 part reader poll that I hope you participate in. This will help shape the story from now on:**

**1).Who should Ned be with? Carly or Chloe? Should he not marry Carly if he finds out about his son before the wedding???**

**2). Should Sonny remain single or have a girlfriend at some point? If so, who should the girlfriend be?**

**3). What pairings you wish to see more of? Ram, SkyLo, Nem or Courtney/AJ?**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long time that it took for me to update this story and once again reviews are shiny and made out of love. BTW the Carly that is in this, is the Carly Sarah Brown portrayed, not the Laura Wright version since my Carly is more conniving and manipulating then she is shrieking and obsessing.**

**Show Me Your Love**

**CHAPTER 4**

"How's Ned? I didn't think you cared. You skipped town without saying a word to anyone, just left signed divorce papers waiting for him. You broke Ned's heart and you stole his son." Alexis accused. She had initially hoped Chloe and Ned would reunite, but now that idea was obviously shot to hell.

"Please Alexis. You're a mother, you'll understand that I needed to protect my child. Tracy is like poison, she finds a way to slowly kill you on the inside with her lies and bitterness. I was not going to let that happen to my baby." Chloe retorted and sent a fiercely protective gaze to her son.

"There was a time when the simple mention of your name caused him physical pain, a time when all he did was watch your wedding video and drink himself into stupor. But now, he's moved on and is getting married in a few weeks time," Alexis said thoughtfully and it amazed her that she actually preferred Ned to marry Carly then to be with Chloe. Alexis had never thought that the soft-spoken, sweet blonde could do something as evil as she had done and it sickened her.

"He's getting married?" Chloe asked almost silently, a deep sense of guilt and longing washing over her.

"He and Carly are getting married at St. Timothy's two Saturday's from now. When he was at his most desperate, Carly and her boys were able to bring back his smile and happiness. And then Brooke Lynn moved back to Port Charles and today they all live together at the gatehouse."

"I - I'm happy for him. There is obviously no place for me here anymore and I have accepted that. I'm sorry Alexis, but I think I should start packing our things," Chloe said fiddling her medium length blonde hair nervously.

"You're not running away again with Ned's son, I won't let you. He needs to know he has a son and if you don't tell him, I will." Alexis said her brown eyes fixed on the blonde with the look of steely determination in them.

"You have no right telling Ned anything. Nate is my son and it's my decision whether or not I tell Ned about him," Chloe angrily retorted, not intimidated by the smart lawyer.

"If you really loved Ned, you would let him get to know his son. He's a great dad and a great friend. He's the godfather for both of my girls and no one loves kids more than he does. Ned treats Carly's kids just like they were his own flesh and blood and he deserves to be there for Nate," Alexis argued.

"I can't just drop in on him and say, 'hey, this is your son by the way'. It wouldn't be fair for Nate. And it wouldn't be fair for me either. I have built a life for myself in Los Angeles and that's where my support network is," Chloe said, trying again to get Alexis to understand why Ned shouldn't know about Nate.

"Just hear me out. You have me, Jax and the Quatermaines if you want to do what's right for your son. "

--

"Where the hell are they? This is unacceptable. Ned ought to show up here tonight, after all the time and effort Brenda has put into celebrating his latest marriage. What is this, his seventh?" Edward complained loudly with a drink in his hand.

"Edward, I'm sure they will here soon. Have some more asparagus guacamole dip and carrot sticks while we wait," Courtney perkily said offering the older man some of the finger food that was sitting at the table next to them.

"Father, you know that tramp won't miss any opportunity to weasel herself into our family. This is her golden opportunity to sink her hooks deeper onto my son," Tracy injected from the other side of the room where she was currently shooting disgusted looks in Courtney's direction.

"Don't talk about Carly like that. She and Ned are really in love," Courtney rebutted with a huff.

"What are you, 13? Carly doesn't love anyone, she is unable to do that. Ms Benson Quartermaine Jacks soon-to-be-Ashton-over-my-cold-dead-body is looking for her next meal ticket. She tricked AJ, but that isn't exactly hard since AJ here is the poster boy for dummies everywhere. She conned Jerry Jacks into marrying her so she could steal his money. Now she's trying the same thing with my son," Tracy replied with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Now, I hate to contradict my beautiful wife, but Neddy is old enough to make his own decisions. Now have some more shrimp cocktail Pookie," Luke Spencer said with a wink while shoving some food into his mouth.

"Ned and Carly love each other I know that. Just because you Tracy, have lost the ability to love, it doesn't mean everyone else has," Courtney said surely and dismissively.

"Ned's my son. I love him more than you can understand in that empty little head of yours. Carly has wrapped her finger or should I say her legs around him, clouding his better judgment, " Tracy argued, finding it hysterical that suddenly the whole entire room seemed too focused on the food to take part in this discussion. Even Edward was too busy jugging down his third drink of the night to comment.

"For someone who says they love their son so much, you seem to put him down a lot. No wonder he hates you, just like everyone else in this town," Courtney said sneering at the older woman, but still remaining close to her husband clasping his hand tightly.

--

"Ready to face the hyenas?" Ned asked wiping lipstick from his lips as they were standing outside of the Morgan penthouse.

"Your mother is more like a piranha. But when it comes to being a bitch, she should take lessons from me. I pretty much invented the genre," Carly winked mischievously and kissed her fiancé before knocking on the door.

"Carly, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad that you're here," Brenda said opening the door with a slightly thankful expression on her face. Tracy and Courtney bickering was causing her to get a massive headache.

"Brenda, always a pleasure. You gaining weight?" Carly sniped and stepped inside the penthouse.

"Yeah, one dead weight just walked him," Brenda snarked back and then proceeded to give Ned a bone crushing hug.

"Brenda!" Jason said giving Brenda a warning look, a look that his wife liked to call the blink of doom which wasn't nearly as intimidating as her husband seemed to think it was. She gave her best apologetic smile while taking Ned's coat.

"Where the hell were you Ned? You have the manners of a servant boy. You are a Quartermaine, act like it!" Edward bellowed, pouring himself a fourth drink.

"Zip it Edward. Ned, Carly, glad you can make it. Now let's eat before the food gets cold," Jason ordered, all hints of pleasantness evaporated from his voice. He wanted the people out of his home as fast as possible.

Brenda had intended to say something, but instead she locked arms with Ned guiding him into the long table that had been set up just for this dinner party. She had spent a good hour thinking about the seating arrangement and she hoped that she had gotten it right.

As everyone had been seated, Brenda clinked on her glass and stood up, saying a Hail Mary beforehand internally, she was now going to utter so many lies in a few short sentences that she deemed it prudent.

"I want to thank you for coming tonight to celebrate Ned and Carly's engagement. I'm so ecstatic for Ned and Carly and I hope they have a happy, lasting marriage filled with love, trust and friendship." Brenda said raising her glass and toasting a marriage she wished didn't happen at all.

--

"So what do you want Princess?" Sonny asked his daughter as they were standing at the grocery store picking up ice cream with Max and Milo standing near them looking out of place in dark suits, sunglasses and frowns. Savannah had practically dragged her father out of the penthouse to get her ice cream and Sonny was too smitten with his only daughter to refuse her.

"I want the Chunkey Monkey ice cream daddy," Savannah said jumping impatiently and pointing to a carton of her favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Then suddenly she noticed something that attracted her attention and the seven-year old took off running towards something.

"Uncle Ric." The girl shouted as both Max and Milo took off after her, both knowing full well that if they let Sonny's daughter get lost or worse, kidnapped, they would be counting fishes under the Port Charles pier in no time.

"Monkey Princess, what are you doing here by your lonesome?" Ric Lansing asked scooping the running girl into his arms. A second later Max ran to them breathing deeply.

"Lansing, let go of the girl," Max growled, to the amusement of the DA.

"Daddy, I saw uncle Ric. What are you doing here uncle Ric?" Savannah said waiving to her father as he run to her with Milo right behind him.

"Well, I'm on a ice cream pick up trip. You see your auntie Sam is craving some Cherries Jubilee ice cream and tomatoes so I promised to get them for her. And then I promised to get some popcorn for Molly and Kristina as well." Ric explained putting the girl down when Sonny shot a disgruntled look in his direction.

"Daddy, can we go to uncle Ric's? I wanna play with Kristina, I wanna show her my new Bratz doll. Please daddy," Savannah said in her best pleading, puppy-god face that usually worked for her father.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: Sonny & Ric at a playdate? Carly and Tracy fight, Jax finds out about Nate.


End file.
